Ruth the elephant escapes from heated barn during Friday's blizzard

Ruth the elephant escaped from her heated barn during Friday's blizzard, standing in the freezing weather for up to two hours. Zookeepers are now providing around-the-clock monitoring out of concerns for her health.

Comment

By SIMÓN RIOS

southcoasttoday.com

By SIMÓN RIOS

Posted Jan. 5, 2014 at 12:01 AM

By SIMÓN RIOS
Posted Jan. 5, 2014 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

NEW BEDFORD — Ruth the elephant escaped from her heated barn during the early morning hours of Friday's blizzard, standing in the freezing weather for up to two hours. Zookeepers are now providing around-the-clock monitoring out of concerns for her health.

"She's doing well, all things considered," said Keith Lovett, director of the Buttonwood Park Zoo. "It was a somewhat traumatic event, so we're watching her, making sure there are no issues."

"She was cold."

Lovett said two zookeepers were at fault, failing to padlock the elephant's barn door and allowing her to enter the exhibit area. When zookeepers arrived for work, they brought her back into the barn and attempted to warm her with hot blankets and heaters.

Although it's unclear how long Ruth was outside, Lovett said it happened between 5 and 7 a.m. Friday, while the city was hit with near-zero temperatures.

Asked why the elephant didn't return to the barn, Lovett said, "That's the million dollar question. We don't know."

He declined to say whether any punitive measures would be taken against the zookeepers. He said it's being discussed with the city's personnel director.

"Ninety-nine percent of the time this wouldn't have been an issue," he said, "but they did it on the day that it was a (very) cold night."

The city's two elephants, Ruth and Emily — age 55 and 50 respectively — are the last elephants the zoo plans to keep. Local activists are petitioning for them to be retired to a sanctuary in Tennessee, though Lovett and other city officials oppose that idea.

At a cost of about $600,000, a proposal before the City Council would triple the size of the elephant habitat within the zoo's current footprint, bringing it to current industry standards.